Increased cravings/temptations to party/drink/drug....
 

since it is Halloween today. I just thought I should share these feelings since I usually drink on them if I don't. It feels as if Ive already relapsed in my mind, I am making plans in my mind. I only had a relapse a couple of days ago don't know if I will be strong enough to overcome these strong temptations. Ive never done this before so I have nothing to lose by sharing this and ratting on myself and maybe I will save myself from a lot of consequences. Thanks for being here SR. I feel very grateful to have you all.

Just another alcoholic drowning in this disease.

If you can fight through the cravings, after a couple of weeks they will get less and less. It is hell going through it, but the payoff is worth it. You have to decide whether you are going to continue what you are doing, or try something different.

Try to find things to do to fill your time - meeting, exercise, read, work in yard, etc.

You ever try AVRT? I found it very helpful for cravings. You could also go to an AA meeting. That seems to help many of us.

Thanks but usually I buckle when the cravings get too strong. I go to AA but went drinking straight after a meeting because on my way home, I was bombarded with cravings and they overwhelmed me.

Yes it worked for me for seven months and then I relapsed and relapsed and never again did it work for me. I loved the book and wanted it so dearly to work and free me from this horrible affliction but in the end, it was not to be.

Yeah I guess I could go to an AA meeting.

A big part of me wants to go out tonight. :(

You aren't just thinking about drinking, you are thinking that it is inevitable that you are going to succumb to the cravings and will drink.

If you read about AVRT then you have to recognize that your addiction is using your past failures as indicators of what is going to happen. That just isn't the case. YOU are in control of your sobriety. Take the reins. You can do this.

Yeah but does not AA say we cannot overcome this with will-power alone?

I gave avrt so many chances after the 1st relapse and could not stop drinking unfortunately.

I used that same reasoning, still drank.

Hi Robert777

A very effective way of combating drinking is to buy chewable vitamin C. Orange flavoured is my favourite. Vitamin C is a very powerful anti-oxidant and works on the liver producing amongst other things Glutathione (An Amino Acid).

Glutathione not only helps the liver repair itself, it reduces the severity of cravings on the body. You have to try it to believe it.

There is a Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin C (Abscortbic Acid). However you can have as many as you need. Any excess in your body is excreted as urine as it is very water soluble. You cannot overdose.

The harder bit is to get your mental images under control, physically your body doesnt need alcohol, so the rest is in your mind, so why not go sit in a sauna at a gym or go for a run, some that is better than torturing yourself about drinking or not drinking.

You owe it to yourself and I bet you can do it.

Never heard of that. Thanks, I will look into it.

If your in the UK like me, Boots, Sainsburys, Tesco or Asda have the chewable type. The long acting Vit C does the same, but for me I have found the chewable great to suck on while watching tv and nothing to do.

I'm in Ireland but thanks anyway. I'm sure I will find some in boots.

Good luck mate, glad your with us. We are all going through the same battles.

Quitting isn't about will-power in any case. Its about knowing where the buck stops and being responsible to ourselves. We really do call the shots when it comes to drinking that drink if we want to be living our lives in the now moment. I'm a recovered alcoholic, and I too did my share of relapsing, and so I understand where your coming from Robert. The thing is this though - YOU can quit by taking the right actions to quit and YOU can stay successfully quit by again taking the right actions to stay quit.

It really is all about YOU and your experiences and how you want to make changes in your lifestyle to quit and stay quit. I don't know you, but from the sound of it so far, change is something that is difficult for you to master right now - you call this finding it hard to beat the cravings and temptations - I call it addiction ambivalence - and this can of course be successfully changed out for a better lifestyle.

There is more to AA and AVRT then perhaps you have known so far. The really important person in all this is YOU. Your much more important then whatever method you use to keep alcohol out of your life. You really can make the differences needed to be successful!

Take it easy and try to relax about staying quit. What is bothering you the most about giving in to those cravings?

Hi RobbyRobot, thanks for the advice. And the consequences are what bothers me the most about giving into the cravings. I don't want to hurt my family anymore. I don't want to get thrown out of my house. I don't want the increased depression/anxiety the day after. I'm just out of a 5-week rehab program and my option are running out. But still, I always feel these things and still end up drinking. Either stupidity or insanity. Or both.

Robert, can I suggest to you, that you contact your sponsor or somebody back at the rehab. They know you and you know them. The last things it seems you want to do is start drinking, it really is the last thing. There is no shame in accepting help.

Yea, been there. I've drank after an AA meeting many times. When you finally decide to quit, you have to accept that you are going to have some powerful cravings that you are going to have to battle. There are things that help - talking it out, urge surfing, exercise, eating sweets, etc. The thing to remember is they eventually are less frequent and less powerful.

Hi Robert, welcome. We are glad you're here. :ring